John 4: 23-24

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John 4: 23-24

Having asked Jesus about where to worship the Samaritan woman receives a surprising answer. It is not a location, it is a lifestyle. Worship is not confined to the time you visit the mountain or the temple (verses 19-20). Rather true worshipers will worship in spirit and truth. That is, with their whole life, with everything laid before the Father who gives life.

We can ask God to help us worship in this way; as a lifestyle not just an activity to be completed once a week.

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“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for these are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John 4: 23-24

From reading the rest of this encounter we get an understanding of the truth Jesus is talking about. Jesus has unveiled the truth about the Samaritan women, and will unveil the truth about who He is shortly. The worship being sought, the truth that is required, is that when we worship we acknowledge the truth about ourselves and bring it all before God as we declare the truth about who He is and His perfect holiness. These are like two sides of the same coin, and are a vital aspect of our worship.

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“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for these are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John 4: 23-24

The idea of coming and has now come is confusing when we consider time. What Jesus is saying here is that we should worship in spirit and truth now, and the location no longer matters. He is also saying that this will increasingly be the case - the time for this is here, and the time for this is on its way. It’s both. The more we worship in spirit and truth, the more we are able to. The more we worship outside of a fixed location, the more we will want to and be able to.

The challenge is for us to bring all of ourselves to God in worship; for that is the meaning of being a true worshipper.

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“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for these are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John 4: 23-24

The Father deserves worship, but He also seeks it, looking for those who will worship in truth. As we worship we are to declare truth to the world around us, we are to declare truth back to God. In this there is freedom from human restrictions and rules. The Father is not seeking temple goers, or mountain climbers. He is seeking true worshippers.

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“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for these are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John 4: 23-24

The time is referring to the special period that, at this point in the story, is to come, when Jesus' death and resurrection will mean no more need to visit the temple in Jerusalem. It is now here, as Jesus speaks, because He has already set the wheels in motion. As we read these verses the time is very much here. We live in the victory and freedom of Jesus' death and resurrection. We have the freedom to worship where we are in spirit and in truth.

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“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for these are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John 4: 23-24

Truth. It is so very powerful. This can include our reasoning. Humankind, of all creation, is unique. We are made in the image of God and part of that is having minds capable of reason and of understanding the world. As we worship God we do not set aside that reasoning and learning. Rather, we bring what we have discovered about creation to God and let it form and inform our worship. As we see beauty in the way the world was made, we worship. As we understand more about the cosmos, we worship. As we see the incredible creativity in and around us, we worship. This is worshipping in truth.

For a more detailed study on the full story in John 4 please see the study on the woman at the well.